Long-tail keywords have over three times the conversion rate of regular keywords. For this reason, it is no surprise you might want to include these in your SEO optimization strategy. But do you understand what they are and how to make the best use of them to improve your clickthrough rate?
This article will introduce you to these SEO tools and help you by talking about how to use them to great effect.
In the world of SEO, keywords are phrases that people may search for in Google. Long-tail keywords are a specific kind. They are words that are very rarely searched-for.
People call them "long-tail keywords" due to how their hit rate appears in graphs of search stats. they amount to the “long tail” at the end of a graph where very few people search for them. But if they are unpopular, why bother with them?
Long-Tail keywords may have very few searches, but they actually have a much higher conversion rate for matching services. This is because people who search for these keywords tend to be looking for an exact service or product.
As such, long-tail keywords can be a huge boon to your ability to find clients. Especially those who are already invested they find you when you start trending.
Sometimes, but not always.
While the name might suggest lengthy keywords or phrases, it is not the number of words that lends itself to a long-tail keyword’s value. There are actually plenty of long phrases that gain a large number of searches, such as:
Similarly, searches such as “lose weight” are not as popular as longer terms such as “how to lose weight”. This goes to show that you need to do more research on each keyword to ensure it is not more searched-for than expected.
How a user engages with long-tail keywords in real terms is:
At each stage of the above, the user is getting closer to finding exactly what they want. This is likely a review or product page for something they intend to buy. You want your site to contain that page so they buy from you or follow an affiliate link from you.
It may surprise you to hear that the possibilities for long-tail keywords can exceed the number of hits than for popular keywords. Along with the fact that the conversion rate for these is so high, you are talking about a gold-mine of customer engagement.
Searching for long-tail keywords is not a complicated procedure. Google already incorporates them into its search functionality via its autocomplete feature.
If you type in a normal search term related to your business, you will be able to see a list of more autocompleted search terms after them. Google creates these based on what other people search for. They are fantastic examples of potential long-tail keywords.
On this page, you can also click on Google’s “People also ask” box. Here, you will find more phrases to search for, usually in the form of question sentences. They may not all work as keywords but many of them will be a good inspiration for further long-tail keywords.
You can then research more into the specific keywords you have found. By entering your list of keywords, you can determine if they are likely to have many searches for them.
You do this by typing your long-tail keyword into your Google Ads keyword planner. Using the “Discover new keywords” tool, Google will offer up more suggestions that will help you find perfect keywords.
You are looking for keywords that have a low number of monthly searches and also low competition. If you have a high number of monthly searches, they will not be niche enough. Others will be quick to snap them up and they will not have a high conversion rate.
In a similar vein, if there is high competition for the monthly searches, you are going to facing off against your rivals. You can not always be sure you will succeed in beating them in Google’s search rankings. For this reason, look for those with low competition or none.
Once you have your list of long-tail keywords you are going to want to rest assured you are using them in the right way.
In your site’s content, you want to make sure you do not use the keywords too much. Refrain from using them on every page and try to focus each sub-page on a specific phrase.
For example, if your blog is about crafts, your main page could use the keyword “home crafts”. Then, each blog post should center around different long-tail keywords. You could have blog posts about “wool home crafts”, “beading home crafts” or “home crafts on a budget”.
The more niche you get with a keyword, the more you can expect that your blog post will be at the top of the Google search. If you find that the phrase “home crafts while holding a baby” gets you the kind of response you are looking for, go for it. Although, remember to research them in Google Ads to see if it is going to receive hits.
Now you understand much more about long-tail keywords and what you should be doing with them. But these are not the only tools available at your disposal. A full SEO strategy will include as many of them as possible.
If you want more help with how to optimize your SEO, we recommend you check out our blog. There, you will find several articles with information on not only SEO but other areas. They will help you improve your visibility online fast.
